


You are the moon, I am your shadow.

by tsundanire



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, Hogwarts Fifth Year
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-06-27 23:55:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15695976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsundanire/pseuds/tsundanire
Summary: Based on the prompt: 'Draco discovers Harry wandering the corridors after one of Umbridge's detentions.'





	You are the moon, I am your shadow.

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt #484 from http://drarrypromptoftheday.tumblr.com/
> 
> ___
> 
> Thanks to Keyflight790 for giving this a read and correcting! Any errors remaining are my own.

_____

 

It was supposed to be a good year for him, becoming a Prefect for his House, and earning a spot of attention with the newest Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Draco had thought that things would be smooth, and that people would look to him with respect now. He expected that a quick patrol of the halls, after hours, would turn up a kissing couple or two, or at the least a student scurrying for a meet up. And it seemed it would continue tonight, as his patrol was almost finished and there hadn’t been a single incident. Not a single student out of bed tonight, aside from his Prefect partner, Pansy. He gave her a little nod as they connected at the end of one corridor.

 

“This way’s all clear.” Pansy muttered, bouncing from one foot to the other with an air of restlessness or agitation.

 

“Did you forget to go before we started patrols again Pans?” Draco rolled his eyes at her lack of advanced planning.

 

“Shut it D.” She grumbled and crossed one leg over the other in an effort to keep everything in. “Can you just do the last lap for me, please? Pleaaaaaase?” She whimpered and gave her best doe eyes, as if it had any chance of helping. They might have been close friends, but she still had the impression that they were going to get married and have 2.5 children at the Manor. Draco barely knew how the next few years were going to go. Especially with all the knowledge he now possessed from his Father’s newest deeds.

 

Rolling his eyes once more, Draco pushed Pansy towards the Slytherin dorms and carried on with the last tour of corridors. Usually this part of the patrol they did together, partly because it was long and boring, and partly because there was one portrait in particular that made them laugh every time they walked past. It was supposed to be a young man with brown hair, and really only had the barest resemblance to the Golden Boy of Gryffindor, but the portrait boy was randy as all hell and had taken to flirting with both Pansy and Draco each time they walked the hallway.

 

Of course, this time it was just Draco, but he doubted that would deter the boy in the portrait.

 

“Ooo~ Well hello Mr. Prefect!” the boy in the portrait flailed in an attempt to get Draco’s attention, but, as usual, Draco kept on walking his patrol.

 

“No words for me still, Mr. Prefect? How naughty!” Draco choked on a laugh and quickly  turned his head away as if he were checking the hallway intersection, but mostly it was to school his features into a more neutral expression.

 

“Well, that might change when you hear the news I’ve gathered for you tonight!” The portrait pranced from frame to frame in an attempt to keep up with the blond. “You see, I’ve heard some rumours that there is a student out of bed tonight.”

 

Draco’s head whipped over to the portrait boy, who was pulling a Pansy and bouncing excitedly from foot to foot.

 

“Oh, I KNEW it! I knew that would get your attention, you meticulous perfectionist!” The portrait boy beamed, proud at having found one of the many things that got Draco’s attention. But the blond continued to stay silent, merely crossing his arms and arching a perfectly groomed brow.

 

“Oh, no, no, no,” The portrait boy smirked and waggled his finger at Draco. “Not gonna get a thing out of me like that, naughty naughty.”

 

Draco sighed exasperatedly and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was never going to be able to get passed this now.

 

“Fine. Just tell me where the student is,” Draco all but grumbled.

 

The portrait paused, a tinge of red on his cheeks, and a look that said he wasn’t expecting his request to be accepted so easily.  

 

“Well… I mean… You could just take a second now that you’ve started, and converse a bit more with me?” He tested hesitantly. Draco narrowed his eyes, showing nothing but annoyance and frustration in his expression. He’d acquiesced once, and wasn’t planning on doing so a second time. Instead, he turned on his heel and continued his patrol down the corridor in search of the student out of bed. It didn’t matter who it was, the punishment would be swift and brutal.

 

The portrait boy tried to keep up, offering more temptation to stay and talk, but Draco had no interest in giving in a second time. Instead he briskly left the portrait boy behind and broke into a near run in attempt to find the out-of-bed student.

 

“Alright, fine!” The portrait all but shouted, earning a parade of ‘SHHH!’ noises from the surrounding portraits attempting to sleep. “He’s headed to the astronomy tower.”

 

Draco turned and smirked. “Was that so hard?” The portrait beamed at the response and waved his goodbye.

 

“Make sure you bring that lovely Lady with you next time. At least she’ll converse with me.”

 

He would have rolled his eyes but he didn’t want to go cross-eyed from overuse. At least, that’s what his mother had always said.

 

Draco nearly sprinted to the astronomy tower, knowing that there wasn’t a class tonight, and therefore no reason for a student to be out of bed, let alone in that tower. And, of course, while there were a few students who broke the rules, Draco was really hoping for the best possible option tonight, being able to punish the Golden Boy himself.

 

As Draco approached the tower, one foot poised at the tower’s door, he knew it was going to be a good night. There, bathed in the moonlight shining high in the sky, and sitting with his back against the pillar leading to the balcony, was Harry Potter. It was almost beautiful, the picture he made like this. The dark black hair was ruffled, as if Potter had been running his hands through it and tugging at it in frustration. His expression was deep in thought, focused on the moon, or perhaps beyond even that. His legs were bent at the knee, and his hands placed precariously over them. There seemed to be something on the outside of his hand that Draco couldn’t really make out.

 

“I know you’re there, Malfoy. You don’t need to hide. If you’ve come to give me detention, then just do it and get out.” Harry spoke quietly, but in the silence of the room it was almost deafening. The words themselves raised Draco’s hackles, but there was something in the tone of Potter’s voice that seemed to cut through most of the ice that built up around Draco.

 

Normally, the Golden Boy was the epitome of fight. It was part of what Draco secretly admired about him, and even more secretly was aroused by. Their fights were legendary, and each time Draco thought it couldn’t get better, Potter would do or say something that brought it to the next level.

 

But tonight, it almost sounded like the fight was completely gone from him. As if, for some reason, there was nothing left inside Potter but a big pile of giving the fuck up. And although he was morbidly curious about how Potter knew he was even there in the first place, without having looked over, it was clear that this was something Draco would have to deal with and do so carefully. This would be the greatest test of wills, seeing as where Potter was concerned, Draco never had any will power or really the ability to think before talking.

 

He took a slow step into the room, then another, until eventually he was in the polar opposite position to Potter, back pressed to the opposite pillar and arms crossed across his chest. He didn’t really know what to say or how to start, so instead he tried to figure out what was wrong with Potter’s hand. It looked like scratch marks, though the closer he looked, Draco realised that they were pretty deep wounds that were still dripping blood to the floor.

 

“What’s with your hand?” he asked as softly and carefully as he could. Lord only knew what would start their next fight, but at least he would try. He moved a little closer and reached out as if to take Potter’s injured hand.

 

“None of your business,” Potter murmured without much enthusiasm, though he didn’t stop Draco from reaching for his hand.

 

“Well, seeing as you’re bleeding out and not attempting any kind of cleaning charms… and seeing as I’m a bit of a clean freak, I’m going to need to clean that up.” Draco shuddered as he considered infection and the like, and brought Potter’s hand closer to inspect. He saw, with horror and revulsion, that the scratches were actually words that had been imbedded into Potter’s skin. He wasn’t sure what was worse, the injury itself, or the fact that it was clearly Potter’s writing.

 

There was a brief pause before Potter turned his attention on their joined hands. He said nothing while Draco pulled out his wand and used a charm to cut off a piece of fabric from his robes. Normally, Draco would not have sacrificed his clothing for anything, but if he didn’t have any dittany on him, nor knew any charms that would help close the wounds off-hand. Using a little Transfiguration, Draco turned the fabric into bandage and carefully wrapped Potter’s hand. He was very focused on being gentle, that he didn’t notice the pair of vibrant green eyes watching him with a blank expression.

 

“Why?” The word was filled with so many questions, and yet so devoid of any emotion.

 

Draco wasn’t sure where to even begin answering this question, and instead focused on ensuring the bandage was nice and tight. When he was done, his hands lingered on Potter’s, strangely unwilling to let him go just yet. Their animosity sat temporarily on hold while Draco tried to unravel the mess that was their Savior. While Draco knew he was destined for a dark and unforgiving path, in the back of his mind there was always the knowledge that the bloody Golden Boy would still likely save the day, and in doing so, also save Draco from an eternity of hell.

 

But this shadowy spectre of the former boy-who-lived-to-make-Draco’s-life-unbearable, was hardly someone who could rescue the son of a Death Eater. And since Potter was currently alone, it likely meant he was hiding this pain from his so-called friends, which meant it was up to Draco to save the Savior.

 

“I don’t have a good enough answer for you right now.” Draco murmured quietly so as not to break the strange and quiet understanding currently surrounding them. “But, Potter… I shouldn’t be the one doing this. You know that as well as I do.”

 

“Harry,” Potter murmured, before turning his attention to the moon high in the sky.

 

“What?”

 

“Just... for now. While we’re here.”

 

Draco blinked, unsure, but offered a small nod in response.

 

Harry seemed so small here like this, so seemingly broken and delicate, even if that wasn’t at all the way Draco knew him to be.

 

“Will you tell me what happened?”

 

“Umbridge.” It was as much of an answer as Draco was going to get, he supposed. But then again, considering her treatment of students who weren’t licking the ground she walked on, Draco wasn’t all that surprised by this kind of punishment either.

 

All the excitement that had filled Draco upon seeing Harry out of bed was completely gone now, leaving only a strange feeling in its place. A kind of exhaustion settled inside of him instead, as well as something fond and warm for the boy sitting across from him.

 

“I can’t talk to any of them about it… they are going through their own stuff. It’s just too much to add on to.”

 

“I’m inclined to believe that if they are truly your friends, like I’m utterly convinced they are, then they will be willing to set their own issues aside to help you. But that’s just an outsider’s opinion.” Draco spat the word ‘outsider’ out as if he hated even saying it. But of course, he could have been one of Harry’s friends from the beginning, had he not made so many stupid little mistakes.

 

So much time wasted, and such uncertainty for the future. Here they sat, across from each other, which was ironically so symbolic of where they currently stood in life. Harry, bathed in the light of the moon, while Draco was completely covered in shadow. Harry turned the full weight of his gaze on Draco, who could feel that look all the way down to his toes.

 

Draco gently smoothed his thumb over the inside of Harry’s wrist, just over his pulse, and considered his options. He was screwed no matter what, having to protect his family by siding with the dark… or being able to stay just like this with Harry, and siding with the light. It looked as if Harry could see the battle waging inside Draco.

 

“You know that your parents are grown-ups right? They can take care of themselves, make their own choices… they aren’t your choices. You can make different ones too, you know?”

 

Harry smiled hesitantly, as if afraid that his words would chase off the slippery Slytherin. But those thoughts were already in Draco’s head, choices he knew he’d have to make this year.

 

“I know.” He returned the smile, feeling a little lighter when Harry answered him with a bit more of a true smile. They both looked down to their joined hands while taking in the moment, not wanting to break the easiness they’d acquired, and yet understanding that they should be heading back to their respective dorms.

 

Draco stood first, releasing Harry’s hands for the moment and brushing off his robes. But he extended his hand once more in a way that reminded them both of that first time Draco offered his hand. But unlike last time, Harry gave Draco a shy smile and accepted, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet.

 

This would not be an easy year for both of them, and the choices they would have to make wouldn’t always bring them together. But Draco had a feeling that what he and Harry felt tonight, what it seemed like they might be heading towards, it might help make a few of those choices a little easier. And in a completely un-Slytherin type move (that he would later deny any knowledge of), Draco grasped Harry’s hand once more, entwined their fingers and headed out to a future unknown.

 

FIN

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed~! If you did, please feel free to leave a kudo and/or comment. You can also find me on tumblr at https://www.tumblr.com/breathofmine


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